1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to swimming pools and the like and more particularly to an improved apparatus and method of rapidly making a swimming pool from readily transportable component materials.
2. Background of the Invention
With the advent of more leisure time, the popularity of swimming pools has increased substantially in the last several decades. In general, swimming pools may be constructed as an in ground pool or as an above ground pools. In an in ground pool, soil is excavated from the pool site and a hardenable material such as a cementitious material is applied to form the bottom and sidewalls of the swimming pool. Examples of in-ground pools are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,759; U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,191 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,392. In a typical above ground pool, the pool site may be excavated and a retaining wall is erected around the perimeter of the excavated pool. A pool liner generally made of a flexible sheet plastic material is affixed to the peripheral wall to cover the excavated hole thus making the pool water tight. An example of an above ground pool is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,501.
Above ground pools are generally less expensive than an in ground pool since the hardenable material forming the bottom and sidewalls of the in ground pool is replaced by a sheet plastic liner. Unfortunately, the vinyl liner of an above-ground pool does not provide the durability since the thin vinyl liner may be cut by a sharp object. Furthermore, the pool liners must be preformed of a particular size or must be fabricated at site thus limiting the shape and size of the swimming pool.
In an effort to reduce the cost of in ground pools, some in the prior art have utilized a plurality of ridged side wall panels for forming the side walls of the in ground pool. U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,780; U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,088; U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,002 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,655 illustrate various ridged side wall panels for constructing the side walls of an in ground swimming pool.
Others in the prior art have attempted to use a rolled sheet material for fabricating the side wall of a swimming pool. U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,801; U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,346; U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,759; U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,017 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,796 illustrate swimming pools having a side wall formed from a rolled sheet material. The rolled sheet material was sometimes affixed to the bottom of a cementitious pool base by mechanical means such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,782.
Thereafter, the side wall and the bottom of the pool was covered by an external coating such as fiberglass or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,085; U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,690; U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,017; U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,772 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,296 all illustrate various external coatings for swimming pools.
Although the aforementioned prior art has contributed substantially to the reduction in cost of construction of swimming pools, the aforementioned prior art has certain disadvantages over a conventional cementitious in ground swimming pool. First, many of the in ground pools having a plurality of ridged side wall panels had to be constructed in a specific size and shape thus limiting the size and shape of the completed swimming pool. Second, many of the swimming pools and construction techniques utilizing rolled material lacked the proper mechanical strength and sealing properties equivalent to a cementitious in ground swimming pool. Third, the external coating applied to the side walls of the swimming pools did not properly adhere to the side wall material thus enhancing the possibility of the delamination of the external coating from the sidewall material. Such a delamination is totally unsatisfactory to a purchaser making a substantial investment of a swimming pool. Fourth, the use of a plurality of ridged side wall panels or the use of the rolled sidewall materials were incapable of providing entrance steps for the pool. Accordingly the entrance steps for the pool were required to be manufactured in an conventional manner.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art devices and provides a new apparatus and method of making a swimming pool of lower cost with the reliability and durability commensurate with a cementitious pool.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus which is capable of being constructing either as in ground pool or as an above ground pool.
Another object of this invention is to provide a swimming pool apparatus wherein the materials of construction do not limited the size or shape of the swimming pools.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus wherein the sidewalls are mechanically reinforced through an external coating to provide a mechanical strength equivalent to a cementitious pool.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus wherein the sidewall may be mechanically bonded to a cementitious base through the use of a web and an external coating.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus incorporating means for mechanically affixing an external coating to the sidewalls for reducing the possibility of delamination of the external coating from the sidewall.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool apparatus which is capable of fabricating entrance steps within the swimming pool.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention with in the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.